Garment-hanger.



F. W. WESNER.

GARMENT HANGER. APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 5, 1918.

1,066,170, Patented Ju1y1,1913.

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FRANK W. WESNER, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

GARMENT-HANGER.

' To all whom it mayconccrn:

Be it known that I, FRANK 7. WVESNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Garment-Hang ers, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to garment hangers and more particularly to garment hangers used to display shirt waists and gowns.

It has been customary heretofore to display shirt waists and gowns upon hangers provided with fixed horizontal supporting arms. As it is desirable to display shirt waists and gowns while fastened together with their closures the use of hangers provided with fixed horizontal supporting arms is attended with difliculties owing princ1- pally to the fact that the supporting arms are too wide to enter the closed neck of the waists or gowns. Consequently it is the practice to unfasten the waists or gowns preparatory to placing them on or removing thein from the hanger, a process which is slow and subjects the waists and gowns to the danger of being soiled by handling. Attempts have been made to place the closed waists and gowns upon the hangers by pushing thesupporting arms into the garments from below, but this manner of hanging the garments has proved unsatisfactory because of the necessity of withdrawing the hook of the hanger by which the garment is hung for display back through the closed neck of the garment. This hook is liable to catch in the delicate fabrics at the neck of the garment and thus ruin it.

The object of the present invention is the provision of a light and cheap garment hanger of simplified and improved construction which is convenient to operate, which will support the garments in a reliable: and

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 5, 1913.

Serial No. 752,100.

from a garment supporting position to a position convenient for their insertion through the closed neck of a garment, and automatic means for moving the arms from the second named position to the first named position. With this construction the supporting arms may be adjusted into a position suitable for their insertion through the closed neck of a garment after which they may be moved within the garment to support it thus permitting the user to hang the gown without unfastening it. Broadly consideredthe garment supporting arms may be constructed and arranged to assume a position convenient for their. insertion through the closed neck of a garment at the will of the user in any suitable manner found desirable or expedient. It is preferred, however, to construct and arrange the garment supporting arms so that they assume a position convenient for their insertion through the closed neck of the garment under the influence of gravity since with this construction all necessity for care or attention upon the part of the user in adjusting the arms is obviated.

The inventionalso contemplates returning the garment supporting arms to a horizontal position after they have been introduced within the garment in any suitable manner. vIn the preferred embodiment of the invention the garment supporting arms are normally supported by spring actuated devices in a horizontal position. The devices are manually movable to release the arms and thus permit the arms to assume a position convenient for their insertion. through the closed neck of a garment.

When the devices are restored to the in-.

parent to those skilled in the art.

The various features of the present inven- Patented July 1, 1913.

tion will be best understood from an inspection of the accompanying drawings illustrating the best form of the invention now known to the inventor, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the garment hanger, and Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan, partly in section, with the garment supporting arms removed.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the garment supporting arms 1 and 2 are pivotally mounted upon a support 3 carried by a hook 4:. Each arm is loosely carried by a pin 5 which is riveted to a pair of ears.6 struck up from the support 3. In order to hold the garment supporting arms in garment supporting position the support 3 carries a pair of plates 7 which are mounted to slide in guideways 8 formed on the support. The plat-es 7 are normally held beneath the pivoted ends of the arms 1 and 2 by a yoked spring 9. To this end the arms of the spring 9 are each provided with a slot 10 which is engaged by a tongue 11 struck up from the plate 7. With this construction the plates 7 are normally held projected from the opposite ends of the support 3 in position to support the arms 1 and 2 which are thus locked in position to support a garment.

When it is desired to support a garment having a closed neck the arms of the spring 9 are pressed by the fingers of the user into the dotted line position of Fig. 1. This movement of the spring withdraws the plates 7 from beneath the arms 1 and 2 thus permitting the arms 1 and 2 to fall under the influence of gravity. In this position the arms may be conveniently inserted through the closed neck of the garment. After the arms are positioned within the garment the spring 9 is released which causes the plates 7 to engage the arms 1 and 2 and turn them about the pins 5 until the arms are restored to the fullline position of Fig. 1 where they engage and sup port the shoulders of the garment.

It will be understood that the specific construction and arrangement of the parts is not material to the broader features of the invention and may be varied and modified without departing from the invention.

hat is claimed as new, is

1. A garment hanger, having, in combi nation, a pair of garment supporting arms arranged to assume a vertical position under the influence of gravity, and automatic means for elevating the arms from a vertical position into a horizontal position, substantially as described.

2. A garment hanger, having, in combination, a pair of garment supporting arms arranged to assume a vertical position under the influence of gravity, automatic means for elevating the arms from a vertical position into a horizontal position, and means for locking the arms in their elevated position, substantially as described.

' 3. A garment hanger, having, in combination, a pair of garment supporting arms normally held locked in a horizontal position, means for unlocking the arms to per mit the arms to assume a position convenient for their insertion through the closed neck of a garment, and automatic means for elevating the arms within the garment to bring the arms into garment supporting position, substantially as described.

4:. A garment hanger, having, in combination, a pair of garment supporting arms, spring actuated devices for maintaining the arms in a horizontal position, and means for releasing said devices to permit the arms to automatically assume a position convenient for their insertion through the closed neck of a garment, substantially as described.

5. A garment hanger, having, in combination, a pair of garment supporting arms, devices arranged to extend loosely beneath the arms for maintaining the arms in a horizontal position, and means for reversely reciprocating said devices toward and from each other to permit the arms to assume a position convenient for their insertion through the closed neck of a garment and cause the arms to return to a horizontal position within the garment, substantially as described.

6. A garment hanger, having, in combination, a pair of garment supporting arms, a supporting plate therefor, a pair of plates mounted to slide on said support, a tension device for maintaining the plates in position beneath the garment supporting arms to hold the arms in a horizontal position, said tensiondevice being constructed and arranged to yield under the pressure of the fingers of the user to withdraw the plates from beneath the arms, substantially as described.

7. A garment hanger, having, in combination, a support, a pair of garment supporting arms pivoted thereto, and means for locking the arms in garment supporting position comprising a pair of plates mounted on the support and arranged to project beneath the arms, substantially as described.

8. A garment hanger, having, in combination, a support, a pair of garment supporting arms pivoted thereto, means for lockingthe arms in garment supporting position comprising a pair of plates mounted on the support and arranged to project be neat-h the arms, and means for Withdrawing the plates from beneath the arms,'substantially as described.

9. A garment hanger, having, in combination, a pair of garment supporting arms,

devices for maintaining the arms in a horizontal position, means permitting the manual reciprocation of said devices toward each other to permit the arms to assume a position convenient for their insertion through the closed neck of the garment, and automatic means for reciprocating said devices from each other to cause the arms to return to a horizontal position Within the garment, substantially as described.

FRANK W. WESNER. XVitnesses: BION B. LIBBY, GRACE A. DEVER.

Copies of'this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

